Comparative host suitability to Meloidogyne spp. and Pratylenchus vulnus in Myrobalan plum (Prunus cerasifera)

Abstract

Nine Myrobalan plum clones (Prunus cerasifera) obtained from in vitro propagation were tested for host suitability to four root-knot nematode (RKN) isolates (Meloidogyne incognita (2), M. javanica (1), and M. hispanica (1)) and one root-lesion nematode (RLN), Pratylenchus vulnus, isolate. The clones are characterized according to the Ma major resistance genes that control resistance to M. arenaria, M. incognita and M. javanica and are categorized into five resistant (R) and four host (H) clones to these RKN species. As expected, the clones ranged, regardless of the RKN species or isolate, into the same distinct R (P.2175, P.1079, P.2980, H.17 and H.21) and H (P.2794, H.18, H.23 and P.16.5) groups for RKN resistance. The P. vulnus tests showed that all the clones had higher final populations than initial populations (P(f):P(i)>1) and that P(f):P(i) ratios were equivalent in each RKN resistance group (R or H). Consequently, resistant alleles of RKN Ma genes in Myrobalan plum have no major effect on RLN multiplication. Our data must be taken into account for breeding strategies aimed at incorporating multiple resistance to both RKN and RLN in Prunus spp.